Friday, October 28, 2011

Cultivar: Da Yeh OolongHarvested by hand on June 26, 2011Origin: East Coast of TaiwanProcess: fully oxidized and some roasting

What makes this red tea special is that the farmer grows it without pesticide so that its leaves will be bitten by the small Jacobiasca formosana Paoli (green leaf insects). It's the very same insect that bites the leaves of leaves of Oriental Beauty Oolong (and Concubine Oolong). Tea farmers on the East Coast (and now elsewhere in Taiwan) found that this bite adds a pleasant, natural honey flavor to their red tea. Of course, a bite alone is not sufficient to transform these leaves into high quality tea. The tea field, the climate and a good process are also necessary.

The brew is clear and concentrated. The summer sun of the Pacific Coast shines in abundance.

I selected this tea among 8 other batches for its sweetness and mellow aftertaste. I wanted the ripe red fruit flavors with sweetest taste possible. Now that the weather gets colder, this red (Oriental Beauty) tea a nice source of warmth and comfort.

This tea is originally vacuum packed in a golden plastic foil (see below on the right).

I wondered if several days storage in an antique, glazed jar (previously used as a grenade on Chinese ships to defend themselves against pirates!) would also improve this red tea. So, I did this little experiment: 3 grams brewed for 6 minutes. In the left cup, leaves from the jar and in the right cup, leaves from the plastic foil. I felt a difference, but wondered if it's because I knew what I was looking for. Maybe this difference is auto-suggested, the product of my imagination?

So, I was fortunate to have a friend (a neighbor without much tea experience) arrive when I did my second brew. I said nothing of my experiment and just asked him to taste both brews. He found that the cup 1 (tea stored in the jar) smelled nicer, more fragrant and had a sweeter taste, while cup 2 (tea from the foil) was less pleasant and had hints of bitterness! I was glad that even a tea novice would find the effect of a good jar on this tea so obvious!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

How do you learn best about tea? Reading books and blogs is a great help, as it gives us access to a lot of information and techniques. However, at the core, tea is a pleasure that is best experienced, not described. Nowadays, tasters prefer to write very detailed tasting notes that resemble wine reviews: a price or score sums up the tea. Ancient Chinese scholars, on the other hand, would often use poetry to translate their feelings. The beauty of their words still resonates with us today. But one wonders: were these literati exaggerating when they described their tea experiences in such divine terms? As long as you haven't experienced a 'perfect' tea moment you can't really relate to these poems other than on a literary level.

One of the most hyped and mythical teas, nowadays, is raw old puerh. At auctions in China, collectors pay several times the price of gold for such leaves. While such price seems exaggerated from the standpoint of our my own finances, I had the privilege to drink such puerhs on a couple of occasions and it felt like paradise! The closest puerhs I found and put on my list are 2 puerhs around 40 years old. Their main drawback is that they are still quite pricy. With this 25 years old raw loose puerh, I'm glad that I can make a similar experience much more affordable!

This raw loose puerh was originally purchased by the Menghai Tea factory. It is an unblended and unsorted harvest from high altitude, old arbor puerh trees. The exact origin of this Mao Cha is unknown. Next, it was purchased by a Taiwanese tea seller who stored it very well, in a clean environment.

In the 80s, puerh tea factories would usually start by sorting the leaves according to their size before blending different areas and sizes according to their own recipes. Here, we have leaves that are unsorted. This means that this loose puerh contains buds, big leaves, branches... This provides a healthy natural mix for the tea to age well.

This tea achieves excellence on the 2 characteristics that we strive at with an old puerh: the wooden old scents and the fresh, pure taste!

It is like silk on the tongue, refreshing and lively! The taste is powerful, mind blowing and never ending. The fragrances are intoxicating and complex like Cognac. Energy pure tickles my tongue and warms my whole body.

It's a tea that can be brewed to its last drop. These leaves have so much to teach about why old puerh is so sought after... but it has to be experienced...

This pavilion in the Lin Garden's Banyan Shade Pond is a wonderful spot to enjoy this puerh. The bench even lets you view the pond below your feet. It gives you a feeling of floating in the air, between water and mountain.

Friday, October 14, 2011

These last 4 months, you were so many to ask for an Oriental Beauty Oolong and I kept being disappointed by the samples I tasted... Oriental Beauty farmers are riding the wave of high demand for quality red teas in China (even though OB isn't fully oxidized). They are adapting to this booming market. Top OB with only buds is turned into gold as its fragrances are more and more perfume like. But this trend also means less balance and depth in taste.

But now, the long wait is over! A simpler, more classic Oriental Beauty from the Miaoli/Hsin Chu area has satisfied me. It's not a modern 'top model' kind of OB with a thin, tall fragrance. It's more full body, sweet and with a long after taste. This is the 'classic' profile of good Taiwanese Oolongs.

The smell of the dry leaves is like milk chocolate with hazelnuts! And it has already an intriguing deep old wood fragrance. The taste is much more fruity and full body. Harvested by hand on August 10, 2011, this Oriental Beauty contains all the aromas of Taiwan's hottest month in the countryside.

It's the kind of robust Oolong that can also be kept in a thermos bottle and drunk outdoors anywhere. Here, today, is Banciao's Lin Garden with 2 visitors from France. This historical landmark is a wonderful background for one of Taiwan's most recognized tea internationally. It shows the importance to preserve the classic beauty of the (Chinese) past. Be it architecture or tea culture! This is also why I'm glad to share this and my other teas with you directly!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Politics and tea don't mix well. At a tea gathering (can't use the word tea party anymore!), it's best not to speak politics, a divisive topic. Drinking tea is much more about making friends while enjoying a simple, yet boundless pleasure. But since there are primaries in the USA and in France right now, maybe I can show, with some humor, how a good tea drinker is both liberal and conservative! (This is my effort to make tea inclusive again!)

1. Be a liberal reviewer

Have an open mind and try all kinds of different teas. Black, white or yellow, Chinese or Indian, small or big, scented or unscented, we welcome all the teas from this planet!And while there is no discrimination, you can apply some affirmative action/preference towards organic, fair trade, small farm, no (or small) label teas.

Then test the teas scientifically and fairly, using (cheap) white porcelain accessories and standard parameters. Porcelain is neutral and gives all teas an equal chance to show their character. It's also affordable, so that money won't be a hurdle for the 'working men and women' to enjoy tea.

And if the tea doesn't taste good, then blame the leaves, the (evil) corporation or (profit seeking) merchant who sold them. If you even feel sick, you should ask the government for more tea retail regulation and/or boycott this seller.

2. Be a conservative gongfu cha brewer

Choose not any tea, but the best teas (or best quality/price) that you have encountered above as a reviewer. Use your personal taste and preference (freedom) to select your teas. Each occasion, season and mood are influencing your choice. This is the reason for variety, but quality and performance of the leaves matter even more.

Then, select the accessories that will fit your tea the best. There are lots of quality levels even in porcelain. The shape, firing temperature, the purity of the kaolin... influence how the cup reacts to the brew.

Tradition is experience accumulated by generations of tea drinkers. If you learn the traditions and add your own experience, you are likely to better know how to brew better. Each detail is an opportunity for improvement: good water, a fitting teapot, good storage, the right pouring speed...

If the tea doesn't taste good, if it displays its weaknesses instead of its nice character, then you can only blame yourself (because you made all the brewing decision)! (For instance, I remember a tea class where all students brewed the same Oolong ; only those who brewed it well would get a smell of strawberry!)

Conclusion: a good tea brewer needs to apply both approaches. However, for best results, I don't think you should do both at the same time. Be 'liberal' with new teas and 'conservative' with teas you know well.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

With some creativity, there are endless possible variations on a same theme. Drinking tea and composing a Cha Xi for each tea, each moment, each mood is never boring. Making the present count more than the past or the future is one of the key benefits/teaching of meditation. A well composed Cha Xi also contains this message: focus on the present moment and learn to feel your tea (life) with your senses and your heart rather than with a timer and a scale.

PS: Last week, Teaparker met Zhang Tian Fu, a famous 101 years old tea master from Fujian (China). Click the link to see how he looks past 100 years old! (He is the best evidence that tea is healthy!) Teaparker asked him if he drinks the first brew (which many call rinse and don't drink). "Yes, unless I think the leaves are dirty. I only rinse some old puerhs." We wish him many more cups of excellent tea!